


You're not fair (when you smile like that)

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Film AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 03:20:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1763967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When their monster make-up artist quits while the film crew for Recon Corps studios is shooting on location, they need a replacement, and fast. A surprise find in the small nearby town solves the problem, but how to handle the blushing fluster of a boy clearly head over heels for the two actors he’s painting?</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're not fair (when you smile like that)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for eruriren week on tumblr, day 1 prompt: film. The idea was loosely inspired by [ this](http://rivialle-heichou.tumblr.com/post/87931792760/ivan-translated-by-me-please-do-not) post, but the scenario is my own.

Movie production was a long, complex process that tended to be filled with more drama, mishaps, and pain-in-the-ass inconvenience than anyone in a movie theater would ever guess, looking at the finished product. If anyone knew that, it was the members of the Recon Corps, a small indie production company formed by a group of film students that had become friends in college. Known for their quirky storytelling mixed with sharply-driven political or social justice undertones, they’d weathered media shit storms, budget cuts and all manner of equipment failures before. Even when they utterly failed, somehow they still ended up with an amazing finished product.

Even still, some mishaps were more of a pain in the ass than others. Such as their main make-up artist up and fucking quitting in the middle of shooting on location, miles away from a big enough city to easily find a replacement. Not the end of the world, considering most of them were used to doing their own guerilla make-up when necessary; however, the scene being shot featured the main character, who was recently undead, having a chat with his still-living best friend. Freshly-dead and still a bit gory was going to take a hell of a lot better make-up skills than anyone on the crew had.

So, they had to find a back-up, and quickly. Kitts was long gone, having had yet another nervous breakdown, this one enough to make him literally throw his supplies into his car without closing the cases and then throw himself into the vehicle without caring that he was sitting in a variety of blushes. The director was running back and forth screaming loudly about the weather being perfect only for the next two days and then rain for weeks, and nothing anyone said could get Hanji to calm down. The producer and screenwriter, who were also playing the main leads, muttered to each other over a brief craft services lunch, trying to come up with contingency plans in case this shoot fell through; it was, unfortunately something they had a good deal of experience with. In this case, though, it would probably derail a good chunk of production and dig into their budget enough the force several important scenes to be cut entirely.

“If we drop those, there’s no fucking point, Erwin!” Levi growled, glaring into his tea mug as if it were responsible for the entire mess. Frustration was clear in the tight shoulders and curled lip, the erratic tic of fingertips against the cup’s rim.

“I know you wrote them in for a reason, but we’re already committed to the finishing date.” By contrast, the producer was calm, smooth and unruffled as ever. Authority sat comfortably on his shoulders despite his current costume of ripped jeans and a white muscle tee, splattered with fake dried blood and stretched tightly over his toned physique.

“Yeah, whoop-de-fuckin’-doo, but if we hand in a piece of shit, it’s as bad as not finishing in the first place!” Levi was in similar clothing, though considerably more damaged and caked in fake gore. His black hair was still pinned back away from his face with a variety of butterfly clips in preparation for the make-up job that had never happened. With the flinty-eyed death glare on his fine-boned face and his hair tucked up like a young child’s, he looked ridiculous.

Erwin had to remind himself not to laugh; as much of a method actor as he might be, being actually eviscerated by his co-star would only add to their problems. Before he could offer any further thought on the matter, though, one of Levi’s team came running up, a notepad in her hand and a phone pressed to her ear.

“Erwin! Levi! I might have a solution-!”

\---

They were standing in front of a comic book shop, in the small town about ten miles away from their shooting locale. Levi squinted at the sign, reading the name under his breath; “ _Shiganshina Hobby Shop_.” He’d yanked the clips out of his hair, but had kept his costume on; the opinion given when asked if he was going to change being, “ _Like I give a rat’s ass._ ” So, really, the image they made had to be something out of a cheap comedy: Levi, at just under 5’4”, lean and muscular in clothes that looked like they came from a fatal industrial accident, pretty face tight with irritated determination; Erwin, a good foot taller, in clothes almost as bloody, blonde and Hollywood-handsome the way he always was; and Petra, strawberry blond hair tucked up in a half-bun, in practical shorts and a tee-shirt with her job title across the back and a picture of a cartoon dinosaur on the front (her choice). There was a fierce glint to her light red-brown eyes and a pen still between her teeth from scribbling information down in the car ride here.

Taking the lead, she trotted towards the door, waving the two men forward. “C’mon, he’s supposed to be the assistant manager here.”

“By ‘he’ you mean miracle make-up wonder boy?” Levi’s acerbic mutter was louder than it should have been as they filed into the store, the inside quiet and dark after bright, bright sun. Moments of adjusting later, it still felt somehow abandoned, but in the tucked-away niche sort of way that all the best shops were. Comic books lined the walls, the newest editions of a few popular series, some older cult classics on the higher shelves and sheathed in plastic to preserve their quality; what Levi could only assume were collectible first editions were behind the counter, prominently displayed in a locked glass-fronted case. Small aisles had been formed out of double-sided bookshelves in the rear part of the shop, a variety of manga, DVDs and figurines decorating the surfaces.

Studying the merchandise intently- pleased to see a few items from his own projects tucked here and there- Levi asked absentmindedly, “Remind me how you found this kid?”

There was no apology as Petra rang the bell on the counter, the other hand propped on her hip. “I put an ad on craigslist for this area.”

Erwin twitched, even as Levi twisted around to sputter, “ _Are you shitting me-?!_ “

“Oh man, sorry!” A blonde boy ran out of the back, interrupting the mutiny before it could happen.

“Ah, are you Armin Arlert?” Petra asked, professional smile already in place; on her, it looked kind where most people looked cold.

“Yeah, that’s me- _whoa_.” Giant blue eyes darted between them, widening as they flicked between Levi and Erwin. “Holy crap, it really is… you know, I kinda thought this was bullshit, but it’s seriously _you_ guys that need a make-up artist. Eren’s gonna wet himself.”

Brow twitching in the way Erwin had come to associate with impending slaughter, Levi grit his teeth and spat, “Do you have a solution or not?”

Having paled considerably- but still standing his ground, Erwin noted- the boy pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, swiping through it absently. “Yes, I do, actually. Miss Ral, your post specified monster and gore-type make-up work?”

She nodded, leaning slightly on the counter. “That’s right- and please, call me Petra, I’m not much older than you.”

Sliding his phone forward on the counter, Arlert met her eyes, blushed visibly, and looked back down. “A-ah, alright. Then please, call me Armin.”

The soft smile on his aide’s face and the answering, shy tuck of the blond boy’s lips didn’t escape Levi’s notice, prompting a stronger quirk of one brow, but he held his tongue, leaning forward instead to see what was on the phone screen. A moment later he was grabbing the phone off the counter, heedless of whatever bad manners it might be as he flipped through the photos on the device; a predatory sheen to his grey eyes. “You did these?”

Leaning over the shorter man’s shoulder, chin resting idly against soft black hair, Erwin raised his brows in surprise. “No, Levi, look- that’s his own face.” Not that it was easy to tell- the detail and intricacy of the torn flesh and exposed bone painted on was good enough that, even on a crappy phone camera, it looked real.

“Eren did them.” There was warmth, pride in the young man’s voice. “My best friend, Eren Jaeger. He’s really good with his paints, I’m sure he could do whatever you need.”

There was no doubt of that. The rest of the pictures showed a young woman of mixed Asian descent, an eerie half-and-half effect carefully bisecting her face; one side in perfect, stylized geisha make-up, the other side a snarling, blood-splattered fox with ligaments peeling away from its teeth and cheeks. Staring at the work, which was honestly better than any professional he’d ever worked with, Levi had to ask. “Why the hell is he working in a little hobby shop when he can do this?”

The question seemed to shut down the blonde’s receptive mood; face shuttered, he lifted a shoulder casually, only responding, “That’s for him to tell you, if you earn it. He’s due to come in any minute, it’s his half-day today; I can cover his shifts for however long you need him, so-“

“ _Armin!_ Dude, you’re not gonna believe what I just heard from  Hannes!” The door burst open, a blur of gold skin and excited babbling darting past Petra to Armin, seemingly without noticing anyone else in the store. Flailing, the young man practically threw himself across the glass-top counter to shake Armin by the shoulders. “The Recon Corps is out near Miller’s Falls shooting for their next picture. _THE RECON CORPS_. Jesus fuck, Armin, they’re so close, I can’t believe it-! Do you think it’d be okay if we went out to see them? Not like, creepy stalker close, just maybe watch from a distance? Augh, no. That’s creepy, isn’t it? Oh god, I just can’t believe they’re actually _here!_ ”

Laughing and grappling with his best friend, Armin tried not to let his voice crack. “Eren, calm down. Yes, I heard. And there might be a non-creepy way for you to go see them, if you’d just calm down-“

“What?! No, tell me, tell me right now!”

This was Eren? Tall, lithe muscles in faded jeans that clung to his legs and a purely fantastic ass, darkly tanned skin and messy hair flying around his head, babbling like a crazed fangirl? Staring at the hyper brat bouncing on his heels ( and, perhaps, enjoying the view as all that thrashing around pulled the thin t-shirt snug across toned shoulders) Levi hummed under his breath. “Erwin, he’s adorable. I want him.”

The blonde chuckled quietly, more of a rumble in the chest that pressed to Levi’s back than an audible sound. Shrewd blue eyes had noted just as much of the view as Levi had, but his mind was admittedly more on the skill shown in the phone pictures and whether he could use it to the benefit of their almost-derailed film production. Even still, Erwin had to admit there was something endearing about the pure, excited energy radiating off the boy in front of them.

Then, following Armin’s helpless pointing, Eren turned around, and there was a mute, stunned moment when everyone stared at each other. Awkward, in a way; Levi didn’t really notice. Leaning back into Erwin’s hand on his shoulder, eyes half-lidded, he met the incredulous stare leveled at him and smirked. “Noisy brat, aren’t you?” He was also fucking adorable, stupidly bright eyes and a faint, ruddy flush showing against the tan skin.

“Ah- you- I…” Swallowing, Eren licked his lips, staring back and forth between the (clearly amused) figure of his best friend and the two men standing in his shop that, in all honesty, he’d fantasized about meeting a few too many times. Levi, no last name disclosed, and Erwin Smith, two of the biggest driving forces behind the guerilla art company that Eren had been following for years. They never took the clichéd easy money types of projects, choosing brutally honest and human storytelling every time. Eren had been captivated, and nothing anyone had said to him had deterred his fanboy loyalty to the group Of course, not once had any of his imagined run-ins with his idols while in the middle of having a massive dork fit. Face hot, he swallowed again and snapped to attention. “S-sorry! Hi! Oh my god.”

Jesus fuck, he was perfect. Levi was nearly vibrating as he slipped away from Erwin’s hand, slipping up into the brat’s personal space and peering up at the incredibly wide eyes. “You’re good at monster make-up, right?” Armin’s cell phone was held up as an example, the dimmed screen still on a picture of the young woman.

The last thing he’d expected to be talking about was the kitsune ghoul painting he’d done on Mikasa last year. Blinking at the phone, Eren cocked his head, glancing back down. Despite being startlingly short, Levi had an intense presence to him, and was close enough that Eren could smell his soap and a sharp, tangy sort of cologne. _Wow, he smells really good_. Blushing harder, he rubbed the back of his neck, still standing up straight and at attention. “U-uh. Yeah, I guess, for Halloween at least… why?”

“Halloween? You fucking idiot, you’re _really good_. Come work for us.” Blunt as always, that was Levi; Erwin sighed, hiding a tiny smile behind his hand. Eren was sputtering again, Armin was grinning like it was the most hilarious thing that’d ever happened, and Petra looked like she wanted to gently shove her boss out a window.

Stepping in before too much of a mess could be made, the ginger-haired woman set a light hand on both Eren and Levi’s shoulders. “What he means,” she stressed, shooting Levi a glare, “Is that our main make-up artist quit without warning and while most of us can manage decent set make-up, we need a creature effects specialist. If we have to go back to a major city and recruit, we’re gonna lose a lot of time and money we can’t afford to waste. Eren, would you be willing to help us?”

Erwin thought, not for the first time, that Petra Ral was worth her weight in gold and then some, on an hourly rate; her skills as a PR specialist showing through as Eren melted into blushing stammers under her hand.

“B-but I- me? You want me to-?” Taking a breath, Eren steeled himself to look at the two men, one shorter and vibrating steel intensity, the other a quiet, commanding figure with a subtle warmth in his very pretty blue eyes. It only made the brunette feel worse. “I’d love to, really, but I don’t have any formal training for this kind of thing. I’m a college dropout that doodles on my friends for the holidays; am I really going to be that useful?”

“Training isn’t always important. If you have the skill, you’ll do great.” Erwin smiled, moving forward just enough to catch those worried blue-green eyes with his own. “Please, Eren. You’re really the only shot we have to pull this film off properly. If we lose this shoot, we’re finished. Will you help us?”

Heart beating faster, as though trying to escape his chest, Eren swallowed tightly. Put like that, what was he supposed to say? With the commanding presence of one of his heroes in front of him, another of them watching intently not far beyond, an exhilarating sense of both pressure and possibility ran down his spine, twisting in his guts. Self-doubt was still a harsh scratch under his skin, but he was nodding before he even knew it, adrenaline and stubbornness rising to meet the challenge. Licking the dryness from his lips, he took a breath and voiced his answer out loud. “Yeah. Anything I can do, I’ll give it a shot.”

An approving sheen flashed over Levi’s sharp grey eyes as Petra whooshed out a sigh in relief; Erwin nodded, short and approving. “Glad to hear it.” And as an afterthought, hand lifting to rest heavy and warm on Eren’s shoulder, he murmured, “I’m sure you’ll do great. 


End file.
